Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies have been incorporated into bracelets and are being used for such things as identification, access control, and age verification. For example, various venues have begun to use RFID bracelets to quickly and uniquely identify patrons that have access to restricted areas, such as back stage events, alcoholic beverage sales, etc.
These bracelets can be made using a narrow band of plastic or other suitable material and a prefabricated RFID tag, so that they are inexpensive to produce and easy to use. However, such RFID bracelets are susceptible to misuse and unauthorized use. In instances where an RFID bracelet is torn or cut to be removed from a wearer's wrist, the RFID circuit may still continue to function. An RFID bracelet that still serves its purpose after it has been removed could provide patrons with the opportunity to give access to a restricted area to an unauthorized patron. For example, a patron with an “adult” RFID bracelet that allows access to alcoholic beverage sales could be removed and given or sold to a patron not of legal drinking age.
A number of mechanical measures have been taken to prevent such RFID bracelets from being transferred. Most prominent is the use of a single-use locking mechanism found on some plastic bracelets. Also known are adhesive locking mechanisms with slits that prevent the wearer from peeling the adhesive back and reattaching it. These mechanisms render tampering with the locking device obvious to a visual inspection of the RFID bracelet and, in most cases, render the bracelet unwearable after removal. However, tampering with the band portion of the RFID bracelet is not prevented by these mechanisms, nor is the RFID bracelet rendered otherwise inoperative if these mechanisms are tampered with. It is possible for the RFID bracelet to be cut or torn, and reattached with a simple piece of transparent tape. To detect this sort of tampering, the person checking the RFID bracelet would need to either make a full visual inspection of the RFID bracelet or tug very firmly on the RFID bracelet. This is slow, inconvenient, and impractical, especially when large numbers of people require identification. Furthermore, such a visual inspection is subject to human error, the most obvious being the failure of the RFID bracelet checker to perform an adequate inspection.
To enhance the capabilities of these RFID bracelets, some have suggested they be redesigned to include disabling technologies, such as tamper wires running along the length of the bracelet. The use of such disabling technologies has made the process of identifying the bracelet wearer faster and more secure, resulting in an increased use of RFID bracelets for identification purposes and additional uses for bracelets, such as for facilitating transactions. However, the additional circuitry, including tamper wires and/or tamper detection logic circuitry, increases the cost of manufacturing these RFID bracelets.
Furthermore, the unique characteristics of such secure RFID bracelet designs relative to conventional RFID tags means that it is likely that lower volumes of these devices will ultimately be produced. Thus, secure RFID bracelets that are manufactured using the same processes that are used for manufacturing conventional RFID tags will not achieve the same benefits associated with economies of scale that conventional RFID tags may achieve. This further increases the cost of manufacturing these bracelets.